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1. First Case of Equine West Nile Virus at OADDL in 2015 [OK]
Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (OADDL) News Release
June 23, 2015
The year's first case of equine West Nile Virus (WNV) infection in Oklahoma was reported on June 17, 2015. The Garvin County horse had an unknown vaccination history.
Clinical signs included ataxia, muscle fasciculations and hyperexcitability.
The horse's serum tested positive by IgM ELISA, an indicator of acute infection. Testing was performed in-house at the Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (OADDL).
The majority of Oklahoma equine WNV cases occur in the fall (see table).
OADDL continues to partner with the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry to offer subsidized testing of horses with central nervous system disease.
Additional information on this Special Program is available on our website here: http://tinyurl.com/omv9rkp
Full text:
http://cvhs.okstate.edu/sites/default/files/docs/pdf/First%20WVN%202015_announcement.pdf
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2. Equine Influenza Reported in Oregon
By The Horse Staff
TheHorse.com
June 23, 2015
Bend Equine Medical Center, in Bend, Oregon, reported June 22 that equine influenza has been confirmed in several horses that competed at the Far West Championship Horse Show, held June 17-20 at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, in Redmond.
"As show veterinarians for the Far West Championship Horse Show ... we have been involved in the care of horses affected by an outbreak of a contagious upper respiratory infection," the clinic said in a statement on its Facebook page June 20. "There are currently 15 affected horses, ranging in age from 1 to 7 years old. Fourteen of the 15 are from one barn on the grounds. Affected horses are showing fevers, coughing, nasal discharge, and lethargy."
None of those horses showed neurologic signs, and none received any treatment other than flunixin meglumine (Banamine), the clinic said.
At that time, the clinic asked owners of affected horses to self-quarantine their horses at home for at least two weeks and for owners of all horses that attended the show to monitor their horses for fevers or other signs of infection. Clinic veterinarians collected blood and nasal swab samples to identify the infectious agent.
Full text:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/35978/equine-influenza-reported-in-oregon
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3. TAHC Releases Temporary Fever Tick Quarantine Area in Starr County [TX]
Texas Animal Health Commission News Release
June 23, 2015
AUSTIN - The Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) has released the remaining portion of the fever tick temporary preventative quarantine area (TPQA) in Starr County (South Texas). The release was effective June 19, 2015.The area released is located in the southwest part of Starr County along Highway 83, near Zapata County.
The TAHC established a TPQA for portions of Starr County on July 3, 2007 following findings of cattle fever tick infestations on multiple premises, and then increased the size of the area quarantined in 2008. Over 65,000 acres were under quarantine in the county until a partial release of the zone occurred in 2011. The size of the remaining area to be released in phase two for Starr County consists of 33,024 acres.
"Releasing the remaining area in the TPQA confirms that the cooperative efforts between the TAHC, USDA-Veterinary Services Tick Force and local ranchers are working successfully," said Dr. Dee Ellis, TAHC Executive Director. "The TAHC and USDA will continue to work closely with local ranchers and hunters to maintain an effective surveillance program so that fever ticks do not reoccur in the area."
The release rescinds all movement restrictions originally placed on livestock within the TPQA as a result of simply being located in the temporary quarantine zone. A separate temporary fever tick quarantine zone established in 2014 is still in place in Cameron County, with approximately 225,000 acres affected.
Cattle fever ticks are capable of carrying and transmitting 'Babesia', a blood parasite deadly to cattle. The fever ticks are common in Mexico, but are not normally found in Texas.
For more information about the cattle fever tick, visit the TAHC web site at:
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/animal_health/fevertick/fevertick.html .
Full text:
http://www.tahc.state.tx.us/news/pr/2015/2015-06-23_FeverTickReleaseSTARRCountyBlanket.pdf
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4. Animal anthrax confirmed in Grand Forks County beef cow [ND]
The Associated Press
Kentucky.com
June 23, 2015
BISMARCK, N.D. - State Veterinarian Susan Keller is urging North Dakota ranchers to make sure their livestock are vaccinated against anthrax, after the first confirmed case of the year in a Grand Forks County beef cow.
Keller says effective vaccines are readily available, but it takes about a week for immunity to be established.
Anthrax bacteria spores lie dormant in the soil and become active under extreme weather conditions such as drought or flooding. Livestock grazing in areas where spores are present can get infected by consuming or breathing in the spores.
North Dakota typically has a few cases of animal anthrax every year. Keller says ranchers should monitor their herds for unexplained deaths and report them to their veterinarians.
Source: http://www.kentucky.com/2015/06/23/3913807/animal-anthrax-confirmed-in-grand.html
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5. Clean drinking water is important for livestock
Brandon Sears, Extension Agent
Richmond Register
June 23, 2015
Water is the most important nutrient for animals, and it is essential to ensure that animals have ample access to clean water. Having water available to livestock allows for optimal animal performance and health.
Dry matter intake is directly related to water intake, and the less an animal drinks, the less feed it will consume. This leads to reduced weight gains, milk production, and animal performance. Water accounts for 50 to 80 percent of an animal's weight and is involved in every physiological process.
It is vital that there is enough water available for the entire herd during hot weather, because water requirements double when temperatures increase from 50 degrees to 95 degrees. Water quality affects water intake, herd health and performance. Waterers should be cleaned frequently to ensure the water does not become contaminated.
During a drought, water quality declines as the concentration of pollutants increases when water evaporates and becomes stagnant. Using city or county water will decrease the likelihood of this happening, but is not always a practical option.
Full text: http://tinyurl.com/opbb3yj
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6. Water Hardness Has Big Role in Fish Disease
ARS
Agricultural Research Magazine
June 2015
For most people, the choice between soft and hard water for everyday use is a matter of preference or geography. Both types have pros and cons. But for catfish, water hardness can make a difference in the development of columnaris disease, which is caused by the bacterium Flavobacterium columnare. Columnaris disease causes skin and gill lesions, can occur in any freshwater fish species, and costs the U.S. aquaculture industry $40-50 million each year.
Agricultural Research Service scientists observed that columnaris disease incidence varies with the type of water the fish are raised in. Specifically, after exposure to F. columnare, fish in well water from ARS's Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center (SNARC) in Stuttgart, Arkansas, develop the disease, but fish in well water from ARS's Warmwater Aquaculture Research Unit (WARU) in Stoneville, Mississippi, do not develop the disease.
"Both waters come from the same aquifer but are very different," says SNARC toxicologist David Straus. "The water at SNARC is clear and contains significant amounts of calcium and magnesium, the two most common minerals that make water hard. The water at WARU is soft, because it contains very little dissolved calcium and magnesium. It contains substantial dissolved organic matter, such as tannins, that have leached from trees and other plant material into the aquifer and give the water a brownish tint."
The scientists challenged catfish in both types of water with the same concentration of F. columnare. All fish in the SNARC (hard) water died, while none of the fish in the WARU (soft) water died.
Full text:
http://agresearchmag.ars.usda.gov/2015/jun/fish/
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7. Biosecurity Research Institute Offers Biocontainment Research Basics
Source Newsroom: Kansas State University
Newswise
June 23, 2015
MANHATTAN, Kansas - If you attend new researcher training at Kansas State University's Biosecurity Research Institute, or BRI, at Pat Roberts Hall, one of the first things you notice is nothing happens quickly. Getting into the building requires passing through several layers of security, and strict rules are followed.
The biosafety experts modeling standard operating procedures for students move slowly and deliberately. They take time to stop and think carefully about what they are doing, including reading instructions for procedures they have done hundreds of times. Even getting dressed to enter lab spaces requires education. And no, you don't get to wear your own underwear beneath the scrubs you don to enter the clean hallway that leads to the secured research labs.
These precautions are necessary because BRI is a Biosafety Level-3, or BSL-3, research facility, which means it houses containment facilities in which researchers are able to investigate infectious diseases that threaten animals, plants and humans. BRI offers new researcher training monthly for everyone who will work on projects in the facility.
Six trainees participated in training in early June. The group included postdoctoral researchers, doctoral students and undergraduate researchers, all of whom will begin working on projects with Kansas State University researchers in the next few months. Trainees complete online modules then spend five days at BRI to hear lectures on the basics of biosafety and biocontainment practices, procedures and facilities, as well as receive hands-on practice implementing research techniques.
Full text:
http://www.newswise.com/articles/biosecurity-research-institute-offers-biocontainment-research-basics
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